Erddig Riverside Walk

Walking route

Explorer Tom

Erddig's Riverside Walk starts near a grand house outside Wrexham, then slips downhill to water, woodland and an eighteenth-century feature called the Cup and Saucer. It is a short green-waymarked circuit, but whoever named that waterwork wanted even the brook to arrive dressed for tea. From Erddig car park, pass the dovecote and descend past the house towards Black Brook. William Emes designed the Cup and Saucer in the 1770s to drop the stream quickly and limit erosion, making useful engineering look like garden entertainment. The National Trust has cordoned off an embankment near it for safety, so enjoy the view from the open path and leave the barrier where it is. The route follows the River Clywedog beside Court Wood and part of Wat's Dyke, an early medieval earthwork running through the estate. In spring the wood can be bright with bluebells. Continue towards Felin Puleston, where a cottage survives from a once busier village, before looping back beside the river. The Trust's map does the navigation; my contribution is to resist announcing that every ditch hides treasure. This place has enough real layers without my shovel. The circuit is 1.5 miles, or 2.4 kilometres, and the Trust suggests thirty minutes to an hour and a half. Start at Erddig car park, LL13 0YT, where parking is free. The route uses footpaths and gravel with one short steep climb, so it is easier than the estate's longer walks but not level throughout. Keep dogs on leads because livestock graze here; dogs cannot enter the house and formal garden. Follow the green markers, respect the closed embankment and let the Cup and Saucer provide Wrexham's fanciest water break.

What is recorded here

A short circular around the 1,200 acre estate. See natural & archaeological features, Erddig’s 18th-century Cup & Saucer water feature designed by William Emes, & follow the River Clywedog along the bottom of Wat’s Dyke & Court Wood into Felin Puleston.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors)

A mapped walking route does not guarantee present access or safe conditions. Check signs, closures and the weather before setting out.